Issue: Education Date: May 7, 2004 Author: Ian K. Scharine ******************** As both a current employee of the Salt Lake City School District and a benefactor of its past services, I am concerned with the challenges that it faces. A state budget that keeps on shrinking while the population continues to grow exponentially are not signs of better days to come. Utah should make its educational system a focus for improvement as far as state funds received, special programs supported and overall quality of education. Utah spends close to the lowest dollar amount per student of any other state in the U.S. With a birthrate that leads the nation, it is apparent that the current means by funding education is insufficient. Although opposed by lawmakers and the majority of voters alike, taxation based upon family size or a “headcount” tax system makes sense. Surely the burden of supporting our children cannot fall to childless couples and unmarried individuals alone. The President’s “No Child Left Behind Program” features many unforeseen problems with its promises for ‘increased funding for better results’ philosophy. As an indication of this, there are more than a dozen states that have protested its guidelines and have refused to adopt them in their educational institutions. Better education begins with better educators and incentives to attract them. Although current budget demands annually force state legislation to pass up salary increases for teachers, other means of compensation are available for those with the creativity daring enough to try new approaches. Think of the results a lower interest percentage on mortgage or loan rates would have as an alternative to the direct increase of salaries. Over time these rates could remain the same, saving educators a significant portion of what would otherwise be spent as a result of a higher interest rate essentially enriching the value of their salaries in the long term.